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MASSACHUSETTS. 



THE HEALTHIEST TOWN 



— m — 



NEW ENGLAND. 



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By ^Y. B. WICKES. 



SHARON: 

PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE "SHARON ADVOCATE." 

1886. 



5V U/^3 



HIS BOOK is intended to make Sharon known and appreci- 
t ated, and 

KOT AS A CATALOGUE 



of the property I have to sell and to let. I have in my hands for 
sale, houses and farms, of various sizes and prices, from $500 to 
$10,000 ; woodlands, wild and cultivated ; cranberry bogs, unim- 
proved lands, and several kinds of business, requiring large and 
small capital ; also houses, furnished and unfurnished, to let. As 
such property in my hands is constantly changing, and this work 
is only issued annually, it is obvious it cannot contain a complete 
list, and so I do not attempt it. 



GENERAL BUSINESS AGENT, 



SHAROiS^, MASS. 

TELEPHONE NUMBER, 9240. 



'm^mmntt Citf f fiiilf Ptert l 



Information Furnished about Boarding Places. 




'HE attention of those not acquainted in Sharon is respect- 
fully called to the following pages. Sharon offers unusual 
attractions to the farmer, the gardener, the manufacturer, 
and to those doing business in neighboring towns and cities, as 
also to those who are seeking a quiet home. 

TO thosp: out of health 



it offers wonderfully pure air. I have no doubt that one-half tlie 
people who die of disease within twenty miles of Sharon would 
live, with the same care and medical attendance they have, if they 
had also Sharon air to breathe. I know that the best physicians 
in Boston agree with me in this. Many people die in sight of our 
hills, who would go miles and spend lots of money, if they thought 
they would receive benefit by the change, who would recover if 
they would spend a short time here. 

It is seldom one does not feel the good effect of Sharon air as 
soon as they arrive here, and a marked, permanent improvement 



is often made by a sta}' of two weeks. I can not too strongly 
urge the sick, whitlier tliey reside far off or in adjoining towns, to 
try Sharon air, — try it at any time, winter or summer. There are 
two large summer boarding-houses, the Massapoag House, A. L. 
Howe, proprietor, and Elm Lawn, kept by G. H. Litchfield. Two 
others, near the station, are always open, though often full. They 
are the '■'Sharon," Mrs. A. B. Lewis, proprietor, and Mrs. W. H. 
Gay's. There are many places where a tew boarders are taken, 
but as they change from year to year, and some of them often have 
their rooms engaged full, I have not thought it best to publish a 
list of them. Prici s of board vary from $5 to $15 a week. Par- 
ties wishing board will save time and expense by conferring with 
me, as 1 can tell them what places are and are not engaged, prices, 
location, etc. As this branch of my business is of no pecuniary 
benefit to me, enclose a stamp if you write about board. 

This work by no mtars gives a list of the places I have for 
sale or to let. If those who are seeking farms or homes will make 
their wants known to me, I can usually find something to suit 
them at reasonable, or even low piices. At present there are some 
estates offered here, very low, and they are sure to become more 
valuable as Sharon becomes belter known Some large tracts of 
woodland can now be bought at prices so low as to make it almost 
certain the value will be doubled in a short lime. This class of 
property- is being neglected by our farmers. 

There are several farms within two or three miles of the sta- 
tion that will pay a very large income to a man able and willing 
to work. A residence of more than thirty yeais in Sharon, six- 
teen of ivhich have been devoted to buying and selling real estate 
on commission in Sharon and vicinity, give s me an opportunity to 
know all the property in the market and the buyers, and I am thus 
enabled to St rve my patrons to tiieir acceptance. I invite those 
who wish to buy, sell, hire or let, to confer with me. I think I 
can be of benefit to them My carrif ge is at the station on the 
arrival of the 9.25 a. m. and 2 p. m. trains from Boston, every 
day but Saturday, and I am always happy to show property, or 
give information about the town. Persons wishing to come by 
other trains ^^ill nctify me by mail, teh graph or telephone. 



y' 



6 



T o LET furni sh: 



r^OMFORTABLE old farm-house and barn. The 
house has eight rooms, is one mile from station, 
commands beautiful views and fine air; house and 
furniture not elegant but comfortable ; drainage per- 
fect. Rent for one year or less, $300. 

T^ the village, a large house of thirteen rooms. 
Good drainage and water. Rent, fully furnished, 
$125 a month. One-half mile to station. 

A LARGE HOUSE, fully and nicely furnished, 
-^^ one-mile to station. Small stable; plenty of 
land and water; bath-room. Rent, $1000. 

A LARGE eight-room house, sheds and barn; 
-^^ plenty of ground, good drainage, splendid view, 

$400. 

A MODERIN' HOUSE of eight rooms, and water. 
"^ One-half mile to station, $350. 

T HAVE several houses by the Lake to let, fur- 
-■- nished. Rent, $300 to $1000. Come and see me 
or write. 

W. B. WICKES, SHARON, MASS. 

TELEPHONE mjMBER, 92W. 



SHARON, 



Sharon, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, is on the Boston & Provi- 
dence Railroad, seventeen miles southwest of Boston. It is the highest 
land betAveen Massachusetts and Narragansett Bays, the village being 
three hundred and fifty feet above tide water, having, I think, a greater 
elevation than any other village in eastern Massachusetts. It is sheltered 
from the east winds of the coast by the Blue Hills of Milton. The drain- 
age is perfect, it being necessary to sink wells sixty feet deep to obtain 
water. There are many pine trees, and there is iron in the soil. All these 
things combined with some undiscovered law that causes a large quantity 
of ozone to exist in the air of Sharon, makes it, as shown by the official 
records, the healthiest town in new England. 

Sharon is emphatically a rural town, more than one-half the land be- 
ing covered with wood, and the greater part of the people engaged in 
agricultural pursuits, though there is some mainifacturing, and of late the 
town has become quite a summer resort, and to some extent even a win- 
ter resort for city people. The summer trade and neighboring cities and 
towns afford a profitable market for the surplus products of the farmer, 
gardener and poultry raiser, while the low freights enable them to bring 
dressing from Boston at reasonable rates. 

The market gardens, cultivated cranberry meadows, greenhouses for 
winter gardening, and cultivated pine groves in Sharon are equal to any 
in the state and are well worth a visit to the town. The healthy air of 
Sharon makes poultry raising and stock keeping particularly profitable, 
and the same cause enables persons to perform more labor with less fa- 
tigue than in other places. As a suburban residence, Sharon has attrac- 
tions unequalled by any other inland place. Here we have a town, wild and 
rural as the backwoods of Ma^ne, healthier than Colorado, the air as in- 
vigorating as that on the White Hills of New Hampshire, with good roads, 
churches, yearly schools, good society, public library, public waterworks 
supplying an abundance of pure water, maikets supplied with as good 
meats and better vegetables than can be had in Boston, three mails a day, 
telegraph and telephone connections, and sixteen trains a day over the 
best equipped and best managed load out of Boston. There is a theatre 
train every night, winter and summer, so that one, by coming to Sharon, 
need not be deprived of any of the comforts or luxuries enjoyed in Bos- 
ton or New York . 



8 
SHAKON^ AS A HEALTH RESORT. 



More than 50 years ago, wheu the Boston & Providence Railroad was 
being built, Major McNeil, who was the most eminent civil engineer in 
the country, spent some time in Sharon. He published an article, calling 
attention to the remarkably pure air of Sharon, but at that time climatic 
influence on disease had not received attention, and the matter was almost 
forgotten until twenty years later, when the late A. D. Bacon, M. D., of 
Sharon, called the attention of one of Boston's leading physicians to the 
subject. Dr. Bacon said : "I have never seen contagious or infectious 
diseases become epidemic here. I have had cases of small pox and diph- 
theria in their most virulent forms among my patients, and that under cir- 
cumstances where we should suppose they would spread fearfully, but 
those most exposed did not take the disease." He also said : "All diseases 
seem to yield much more readily to treatment here than in any other lo- 
cality with which I am acquainted." Another celebrated physician has 
said: "Gaad air and drainage are necessary to health, bat besides thsss 
there seems to be some undiscovered law which makes this locality so 
healthy." It is certain that some who have been pronounced by the most 
skillful doctors as past all help with consumption, have recovered 
here. In one instance, a lady was told by the late Dr. Edward Clarke, of 
Boston, that she was past all help and could expect to live but a short 
time, as both lungs had tubercles on them and were nearly gone, yet that 
lady got well in Sharon and is now enjoying a fair measure of health. 

Of late more attention has been paid to the effects of climate on dis- 
ease. One of the leading medical journals of New York says: "It is 
acknowledged by the highest medical authorities of Europe that the health 
of a community depends entirely on the amount of ozone in the atmos- 
phere." 

The test papers exposed in Sharon from 7, A. M. to 2, P. M., and 
from 9, P. M. to 7, A. M., have never, when compared with the Schoinbein 
scale of to 10 shown less than 4, and in tests taken nearly every day for 
a year have averaged over 6, frequently going as high as 9. 

This, we are told, is more than has been found in any other locality 
this side of the Rocky Mountains. Test papers exposed but one or two 
hours here often show decided coloring, and we invite physicians, who 
have a short time to spend in Sharon to call on me and make tests that 
they may see for themselves the surprising results. I have test papers 
for their use . 

That our non-professional readers may better understand what ozone 
is, and its efl'ect on disease, we reprint the following condensed from an 
article in the New York Medical Tribune : 



9 



"Ozone is merely oxygen, only in a different physical condition, being 
more condensed and possessing much greater activit}^ It has a peculiar, 
penetrating odor, somewhat resembling that of chlorine, and perceptible 
in the atmosphere even when the ozone is present in the proportion of 
one part in one million parts of atmospheric air. Ozone is the most ener- 
getic oxidizing agent known, and attacks even the nitrogen of the air — 
usually so different in its affinities — as well as most other elements, con- 
verting them into their highest forms of oxidation. It is produced in na- 
ture by electric discliarges in the atmosphere, and is therefore more abun- 
dant in the neighborhood of strongly electrified cloud-masses, and in gen- 
eral, in the higlier regions of the atmosphere. Through the agency of 
rain, and particularly snow, as well as by the descent of condensed mois- 
ture, it is conveyed to the lower regions of the atmosphere. It is then 
rapidly decomposed by coming in contact with oxidizable substances of 
either vegetable or animal origin, on which it can exert its destructive ef- 
fect. Such bodies as carbonic oxide gas, sulphuretted and phosphuretted 
hydrogen are at once attacked, deprived of their gaseous form, and trans- 
formed into other combinations, which are then transferred to the earth. 
Air loaded with putrid or miasmatic exhalations is therefore immediately 
purified by contact with ozonized air, and again a development of such 
exhalations cannot well take place in the presence of ozone. 

The action of ozone on such impure air is extremely powerful. Ac- 
cording to Schoenbein. an atmosphere containing only 1-3,240,000 of 
ozone is capable of destroying all noxious matter contained in an equal 
volume of miasmatic air. Where or whenever there is a deficiency of 
this quantity of ozone, there will occur zymotic and contagious diseases, 
such as typhoid, scarlatina, measles, small pox, miasmatic fevers, yellow 
fever, etc., as well as all sorts of skin diseases. To detect ozone in the 
atmosphere, a very satisfactory test is to expose to the air a moistened 
piece of test paper, prepared as follows : The best Swedish filter paper 
cut in strips, is dipped in a solution of starch and potassic iodine, then 
dried and preserved from air and light. When it is used, it is slightly 
moistened (when too dry) by holding it against vapor or breathing upon 
it, and then hanging it out in the air from two to ten feet from the ground, 
protected from the strong sun and wind. After six hours it will have 
been oxidized ; then remove and dip it into distilled water, when a purple 
reaction will show in the paper. It is then compared with Dr. Lender's 
ozonometer, which gives the degree of ozone in the atmosphere where it 
has been placed. This paper indicates free ozone by liberation of iodine, 
and consequently, blueing of the starch. 

The ozonometry in Boston, which has been carried on since 1878, has 
proved unsatisfactory, owing to the small quantity of ozone found. 

Our friends are assured they will almost always get, on a paper ex- 
posed one hour, in Sharon village or on Moose Hill, as high as 2 on the 



10 



same scales. 

Among the wouderful cures effected in Sharon in 1885 was that of a 
Boston lady who was supposed by her physician and friends to be in the 
last stages of consumption. She gained eighteen pounds in weiglit in six 
weeks and is now a well woman. Her cure is but one of many, who, for 
the last ten years, have come here from all pai'ts of the country, sick with 
all kinds of diseases who have received marked benelit. Among tliese are 
many cases of insomnia and some of hay fever. Another remarkable 
cure in 1885 was a man who came here from Newport sick with Brights 
disease. Though he is apparently in perfect health, here, he cannot live 
in Newport. To use his own words : "I don't know what a well day is in 
Newport or a sick day in Sharon." 

I will, at any time, give the address of those who have been helped 
by coming here, and of their physicians. Many of the lattier are enthusi- 
astic in their praise of the curative effects of Sharon air. 

Invalids of all descriptions, including those suffering from chronic 
troubles, and convalescent from acute diseases are sure to receive im- 
mediate benefit from a residence in Sharon. 

Residents can enjoy here all the comforts and even luxuries that can 
be procured in any city, since our stores are supplied with as choice meats, 
provisions, groceries and other supplies as are the markets and stores of 
Boston; and if any article is called for that they have not in stock they 
can order it by telephone and be supplied in a sliort time. 

To those who would like to reside in a town where the money raised 
by taxation is judiciously spent, and would like to dodge those cities and 
towns whei'e incompetent or dishonest officials have made high taxes ne- 
cessary, we commend our article on "Low Taxes." 

To those who would follow any branch of farming, Sharon offers exti'a 
inducements. Physicians have found that the milk from cows kept in 
Sharon is much healthier for invalids and children than from cows kept 
in less healthy localities. This will not seem strange to those who know 
how sensitive is the nursing babe to the health of the woman who gives 
it sustenance. The effects of the air here on animals is shown by the fact 
that in 1872 v^iiile almost every horse throughout the length and breadtli 
of the land w^as sick, horses in Sharon that worked everj' day showed no 
signs of sickness, showing that the ozone in the air of Sharon killed all 
disease germs, and proving that Dr. Bacon was correct Ayhen he said 
infectious diseases could not spread in Sharon. 



11 
sce:n^eky axd drives. 



Few places cau give such a succession of good drives, coupled with 
magniflceut scenery as can Sharon. Usually where the scenery is wild, 
the roads are poor if not absolutely unsafe, but it is not so here. 

In the following drives we are supposed to start from the post-office. 
Every one will wish to drive around the Pond ; from the post-offlce and 
back is six miles. Another drive you must take to see Sharon is to Moose 
Hill. The road past the depot is the nearest and most romantic, but is 
very hilly. To return by easier grades, come down the "Moose Hill 
Road" to Main Street. The following interesting sketch of what may be 
seen from Moose Hill, was prepared for me by E. G. Chamberlain, Esq. 
of Auburndale, Mass., who is a member of the Appalachian Club : 

"Moose Hill is 530 feet above sea level. The tower affords an addi 
tional elevation of 20 feet. The tower is square, the sides facing pre. 
cisely to the four cardinal points. Let us take the views in order from 
left to right. All elevations are reckoned from sea level and all Ijearinfj-s 
from the true meridian. 

Due North is West Dedham Unitarian Church, six miles distant, quite 
conspicuous on a hill. A little to the right is Arlington Heights, 20 
miles, and under it the Theological Seminary on Institution Hill iu New. 
ton. More to the right is Norwood Village, .5 miles, and Dedham with its 
Court House dome, 9 miles. About N.N.E. is Boston, the State House 
dome bearing N. 25" 27- E., 18 miles. Just at its left is the white tower 
of Roxbury standpipe, and between and beyond them is Bunker Hill Mon- 
ument. A trifle to the right is the large village of Hyde Park, 10 miles. 
N. E. is the Blue Hill Range, Great Blue at the left being 8 miles distant 
and 635 feet high. A little left of it we may get a glimpse of tide water 
near Winthrop, while nearer we look down on the meadows of Neponset 
River. Next to Great Blue is Hancock Hill, then Hillside Street Gap, 
Bugbee Hill and the peak of Chickataubut 518 feet high, under whose left 
flank is Bear Hill, hardly separable. In line with Chickataubut is Canton 
Corner Church, 5 1-2 miles. A little to the right is Canton Village, 4 
miles, and nearly over its left hand steeple is Strawberry Hill, 21 miles 
crowned by a standpipe. To the left of this and nearer, is the tower on 
Penn's Hill (in Braintree?) To the right of the right hand Canton steeple 
is the triple-towered Atlantic House at Nantasket, 21 miles. Between 
Strawberry Hill and the Atlantic House may be seen Massachusetts Bay, 
the sea horizon line being 30 1-2 miles distant. A little to the right, 
miles ofl', are the three tall spires of Eandolph, about three degrees apart, 
the left hand one bearing E. N. E. Due E. is Sharon, 2 miles, and over 
it the large village of Stcughton, 6 miles. Considerably to the right, 10 
miles ofl", is Brockton. Just right of its tallest spire is the Staudish Mon- 
ument on Captain's Hill, in Duxbury, 28 1-2 miles. The large pond, 2 



12 



miles S. E., is Massapoag. Nearly over its left end is East Bridgewater, 
15 miles. About over its centre is Bridgewater, 15 miles, and over its 
right end Middleboro, 22 miles. Due South (S. 0" 20- W.) is Great Mead- 
ow Hill in Rehoboth, 17 miles, crowned by a group of trees. Nearly un- 
der its right base is Mansfield, 7 miles. About S. S. W. are the two spires 
of Foxboro, 4 1-2 miles. Half way between Great Meadow and Foxboro, 
appears a very small sharp peak, Oak Hill, in Attleboro, 15 miles, and 
nearer, at its right, the village of East Attleboro. Turning nearly to W. 
S. W. we see three miles off. South Walpole with its short white steeple. 
Nearly over its left is the summit of Woonsocket Hill in Rhode Island, 20 
miles. To the right of W. S. W. is the tall cupola of Dean Academy in 
Franklin with steeples at its right. 

Turning nearly to W. N. W. we see the low-pointed ridge of Asny- 
bumskit Hill, in Paxton, 1407 feet, 37 miles ; and more toward N. W. the 
very conspicuous Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, of the same range, 
2018 feet, 43 miles, is seen over Walpole Village 2 1-2 miles off. Midway 
between Asnybumskit and Wachusett is seen Rice Hill in Rutland, 41 
miles, a little left of which are three steeples nearly in line, one above the 
other, viz. : Hopkinton, 17 miles, Shrewsbury, 28 miles, and Rutland 42 
miles. Somewhat to the right of Wachusett is the low ridge of Monoos- 
nook Hill in Leominster, 41 miles, seen over Medfleld Village, 6 1-2 miles 
off. Still to the right is Grand Monadnock Mountain, in Jaffrey, N. H. , 68 
miles, 3170 feet high, a sharp peak falling off very gradually to the right. 
Between Monoosnook and Monadnock, just N. W. is Sherborn Church, 11 
miles. Against the right flank of Monadnock is the round knob of Wata- 
tick Mountain in Ashburnham, Mass., 1847 feet, 52 miles a peak of the 
Wachusett Range. This range we follow to the right of New Hampshire, 
by Mt. Kidder in New Ipswich, Spofford and Temple Mountains in Tem- 
ple, and the noticeable twin summits of Pack Monadnock, near Peter- 
boro'. The latter are about 2280 feet high and 62 miles distant.. Be- 
tween Watatick and Kidder the near round hill, 19 miles off is Nobscot, in 
Framingham, 602 feet 

To the right of the Pack Monadnocks, 8 miles off,is a group of hills in 
Dover, through a gap in which we get a glimpse of Lyndeboro' Pinnacle, 
62 miles off. Turning far toward the North we see Prospect Hill in Wal- 
tham, 18 miles, with Little Prospect on its left flank, and further left the 
village of Lincoln, 21 miles. I have identified some prominent building 
in about fifty villages, some of them requiring the telescope. Many oth- 
er villages have been observed but not yet fully identified. The spire at 
the right of Foxboro may prove to be in Pawtucket, R. I. The calculated 
l)earing of Brown University at Providence, 22 1-2 miles, places it midway 
between the Foxboro steeples, but I have never been favored with a view 
of it. It is probably not visible." 

The air on the hill is very invigorating, and persons with weak lungs 



13 

enjoy it much. Invalids, by carrying a lunch and spending some hours on 
the hill, are often benefitted. I regret there is no boarding place there. 
Perhaps some time there will be a sanitarium or hotel on the hill. It 

would be well patronized. 

The poultry house that you pass in returning is over eight hundred 
feet long, and has a wing, not in sight of the road, four hundred and 
eighty feet long. It was intended for ten thousand fowl. 

For a short drive, take Main street to Foxboro, turn the first left 
through "Gun House Lane," then next left home. In "Gun House Lane" 
formerly stood the gun house in which was stored the cannon to protect 
the inhabitants from their enemies. Elm Lawn, near the corner of the 
lane was formerly the Randall homestead, and here died not many years 
ago, "Boston Randall," a very aged negro and probably the last slave 
owned in Massachusetts. He was brought from Africa and Icept as a 
body servant, until he finally became a family pet. He refused his free- 
dom and was kindly cared for by the family while he lived. He was bur- 
ied, as was his master's family, in the Chestnut Tree cemetery. 

Another short, pleasant drive is to the town farm ; you will sare 

opening gates if you go past Sharon depot and take second right hand 

road. 

For a very romantic drive, take Main Street and Walpole Street to 

Mr. Benjamin Rhoades' house, turn sharp to the left and follow County 
Street, until it comes to Main Street, near Paradise cranberry meadow. 
County Street is full of sharp pitches, and not much travelled, but it is 
decidedly wild and has a history. It is one of the oldest roads in Massa- 
chusetts, having been called the "path to Bristol." It was over this road 
Madam Knight rode on the first night of her famous journey to New 
York, and the "Wayman's Ordinary," where she spent the first night, 
stood near where the cranberry store-house now stands. Here Ebenezer 
Billings is supposed to have built his tavern about 1658, many years be- 
fore there was a white person in what is now Canton. 

For a variety of ferns, drive through the Pigeon Swamp road. Maid- 
en-hair ferns grow here. You will have a romantic ride to go past Leon- 
ard's mill, turning sharp to the left at the cemetery and take the first 
right and the next right. Near the house of J. M. Bullard on this road, 
you get a splendid view and an assortment of ferns. 

Drive to Wolemonopoag Pond, and turn to the left and the next left 
home. If you care for places of historical interest, when on this drive 
take the right at Mrs. T. E. Clark's and go to Clapp's saw mill. Here was 
the foundry, where, under General Gridley, was cast the first cannon ever 
made in the country. 

Not far from Mrs. Clark's, King Phillip and his warriors camped the 
night after they burned Medfield, in 1676. They passed the "Wayman's 
Ordinary" just at dusk, but spared it because one of the chiefs said, 
"Billings is Indians' friend." 



14 



It is six miles to Foxboro, and six to South Walpole. On the Sonth 
Walpole road, Mr. Lyman Plympton has a cultivated cranberry bog and a 
cultivated Avhite pine grove, both equal, if not superior, to any others in 
the state. To Walpole it is five miles, six to Norwood, and three to Can- 
ton. At Canton go and see the large, solid, stone viaduct, by which the 
railroad crosses the highway and Neponset River. It used to be consid- 
ered one of the wonders of the age. Also call and see a model of the fa- 
mous Strasburg clock at Hawes' jewelry store. It was made by Mr, 
Hawes, and he kindly shows it to all who call. 

To Dedham it is ten miles. Here on East Street is the old Fairbanks 
house, which has been occupied by the same family for two hundred and 
forty years. For twenty-five cents Miss Fairbanks will show you many 
curious relics and heirlooms of the family. 

To Stougliton it is six miles and to Nbrth Easton it is seven. At the 
latter the Unitarian church, the other pttblic buildings, and the magnifi- 
cent grounds of F. L. Ames, which are open to the public, are worthy of 
a visit. To Easton Furnace, seven miles, is a pleasant drive, and a little 
ofi' the road in East Mansfield are Austin's poultry grounds. Here at times 
may be seen as many as five thousand geese fattening for the market, as 
well as immense quantities of hens, ducks and turkeys. Mr. Austin some- 
times feeds sixty bushels of grain a day to his fowl. To East Foxboro 
is six miles. Much of the way this road runs beside the railroad track. 



LOW TAXES. 



The following is a copy of a circular issued by Joel T. Hew- 
ins, Esq., Treasurer of Sharon : — 

SiiAKON, Mass., 1885. 
Sir:— 

Many persons who pay taxes on a large amount of personal property 
in cities where the rate of taxation is high, are proposing to change their 
residence to some place where the burden of taxation is lighter. The at- 
tention of sucn is respectfuUj' called to a few facts about Sharon. The 
present valuation of the town is about .$1,000,000, and the tax rate for all 
purposes is fiii9.40 on .^1000. Several wealthy people talk of changing their 
residence to Sharon the coming season and should enough do so to in- 
crease the valuation another million, — and there is reason to hope such 
will be the case, — the tax rate will not exceed ilio.OO on fj^lOOO If this rate 
is once established enough more will no doubt be added from yeai' to year 
to make the tax rate of Sharon lower than it is in any other town 
OR city in the state. 

The present low tax rate has not been reached by niggardly appropri- 
ations, but by careful management and judicious expenditures of the 
money raised. There is no probability that the expenses of the town will 



15 



be much increased for some time to come, as tlie town liall, school- 
houses and otlier public buildings are all new or in good repair, and amplj' 
sufficient for the needs of the town; the town debt is small and is being 
rapidl.y extinguished under tlie present rate of taxation ; the roads are in 
good repair, and there is an invested fund, the income of which is for the 
support of schools. 

Sharon is \ery pleasantly situated on the Boston & Providence Kail- 
road, 850 feet above tide water on the highest laud between the two 
cities. It is thirty five minutes ride from Boston, from which there are 
nine trains a day, including a late train for lectures and theatres, which 
with the telegraph and teleplione, and five mails a day give ample com- 
munication witli all the world. Sliaron has long been celebrated for its 
fine drives, lakes, streams, pine groves and healthy air. Of late years it 
has become quite a resort for invalids and convalescents, eminent physi- 
cians having recommended it to their patients and pronounced it- the 
Healthiest Town in the State. Chemical tests of the atmosphere have 
found in it * larger amount of ozone than has ever been found at any oth- 
er place east of the Rocky Mountains, and to this fact is attributed the 
healthy and curative effects of the air of Sharon. 

The markets of the town supply all that is needed in the line of gro- 
ceries and provisions. There are four cliurches, yearly schools, and a 
well selected public library. In short, Sharon, from its accessibility to 
Boston and Providence, its cliurches, schools, public library, scenery, 
healthy air and Low Taxes, has advantages as a suburban residence une- 
qualled by any locality near Boston. 

A pamphlet describing Sharon more fully will be sent on application. 

Persons wishing further information will be waited upon at their 
residence or place of business if desired. 

Address the TOWN TREASUKER, Sharon, Mass. 



JUST LIKE SHAROIS^. 



Tlie following extract from the Sharon Advocate will serve to 
"show wliat manner of a town Sharon is :— ;- 

"This town has neither the manufactories or the wealth of most of the afljoining 
towns, but in the moiai and social standing of its people, and in benevolence and pub- 
lic spirit, it will compare favorably with other towns. When a law was passed per- 
mitting towu.s to furni>h text books free to schools, it was just like Sharon to be the 
first town in the State to adopt the pUtn. It was just like Sharon to support a High 
Scliool, though not compelled by law to do so. For thirty years it has been just like 
Sharon to vote all the school money the School Committee asked for, and these 
votes are generallv passed unanimously. In other towns and cities their appropria- 
tions are usually higgled over and cut down. For thirty years it has been just like 
Sharon to vote without question almost every cent of money that has bet u asked for, 
for every reasonable purpose, and it has been just like Sharon to spend that money so 
judiciously that we take gooil care of our poor, have good roads and as low taxes as 
any town in the state. It is just like Sharon to have a line towj hall at a moderate cost, 
a a-ood public library; to have its lake well stocked with lish; to have the telephone 
and telegraph and to have railroad accommodations unsurpassed by any town of its 
size within a like distance of Boston. More than fifty vears ago, a few citizens of 
Sharon suppliefl themselves with pure water from Sharon Springs, by forcing it up to 
au elevation of one hundred feet, which was something they had never seen accom- 
plished, and which wise men told them could never be done. This was just like Shar- 
on, and unlike any other town in the vicinity, and now, when the old works are inade- 
quaie, it is just like Sharon to vote unanimously a liberal stun to supply the whole vil- 
lage with pure water. We might mention many other commendable things in which 
Sharon is unlike other towns, if our space wou d permit." 



16 



HOW TO REACH SHAROJS^. 






Sharon is, as has been said, on tlie Boston & Providence Railroad, 
seventeen miles southwest of Boston Common and tweuty-flve miles from 
Providence. Time of trains from Boston, 35 to 40 minutes. This rail- 
road is one of the oldest, most carefully managed, and best equipped roads 
in the country. It is double ti-acked with steel rails its entire length, and 
unlike most of the Boston roads, gets into the city without crossing a 
drawbridge. Its station in Boston, on Columbus Avenue and Park Square, 
is convenient and comfortable, and architecturally the most beautiful in 
the United States. It is said by those who have travelled extensively, to 
be unequalled in the world when convenience, comfort, looks and sur- 
roundings are taken into account. Single fares from Boston to Sharon, 
40 cents; five tickets, fl.75, or 35 cents each. Season tickets for three 
months, .$23.00, or about 14 cents a trip. Single fares from Sharon to 
Providence, 60 cents. 

Passengers from New York can reach Sharon by the Shore Line (all 
rail) or by the Stonington Steamboat Line. To drive from Boston to 
Sharon, take Brush Hill Turnpike and come via Canton. From Jamaica 
Plain, come via Dedham and Norwood. From New Bedford and Taun- 
ton, come by carriage via Easton Furnace. To drive from Providence, 
follow the wires via East Attleboro and Foxboro. 



17 

BOSTON AND PROVIDENCE RAILROAD. 



Tbis table is liable to changes, though it is the policy of this 
road never to take oflt" trains. 



TRAINS LEAVE 

Sharon (or Boston, 7.01, 8.06, 9.23, 11.53, A. M. ; 3.33, 5.20, 
7.53, P. M. Due in Boston, 7.40, 8.50, 10, A. M. ; 12.30, 
4.05, 5.55, 8.30, P. M. 

Boston for Sharon, 6.35, 8.00, 9.25, 10.30, A. M. ; 2.00, 4.00, 
5.30, 8.30, 11.05, P. M. Due in Sharon, and leave Sharon for 
Mansfield, Attleboro, Pawtucket and Providence, 7.20, 8.36, 
10.00, 11.15, A. M. ; 2.35, 4.36, 6.05, 9.05, P. M. 11.44 P. 
M. to Mansfield only. 

Sharon to Roxbury, 8.06, 11.53, A. M. ; 5.20 P. M. 

Sharon to Jamaica Plain, 11.53. A. M. ; 5.20 P. M. 

Sharon to Hyde Park, 7.01, 8.06, 8.23, 11.53, A. M. ; 5. 20 P.M. 

Sharon to Readville, 8.06, 11.53, A. M. ; 5.20 P. M. 

Sharon to Canton Junction sa.ne as to Boston. 

Sharon to New York, 10 A. M. : Due in New York, 4.50 P. M. 

Grand Central Depot, 42d street, N. Y., for Sharon, 8, A. M. 
Due in Sharon, 3.33, P. M. 

A Sunday train leaves Providence for Boston at 8 A. M., stop- 
ping at Pawtucket, Attleboro, Mansfield, Sharon, (9.05) Can- 
ton Junction and Hyde Park. 

On and after A[)ril 1st, two new trains will be added. One from 
Boston and way stations will leave Boston at 8.20 A. M., and 
one from Providence at 9.15 P. M., calling at Sharon about 
10.30, due ill Boston at 11.05. 



18 

FOR SALE! 



A :N' 80 ACRE FARM. Land level, easily work- 
ed and free from stones; plenty of wood; large, 
two-story, well-kept, square house; nice large barn. 
This is one of the prettiest places in Norfolk County 
for a gentleman's country-seat, or is a productive 
farm for a laboring man. It belongs to two ladies who 
can not work it and will sell very low and on easy 
terms. Price, $4000. Inquire of 

W. B. WICKES, 

GENERAL BUSINESS AGENT, SHARON, MASS. 



HENRY A, BOYDEN, 

^ SHARON, 

Painter, Paper Hanger & Glazier. 



House Painting and Decorating 

IN ALL ITS BRANCHES, 

PROMPTLY ATTENDED TO. 



19 



ryo THE FOLLOWING description of an elegant 
estate I am instructed to sell, if it does not bring 
but a small per cent, of the cost. It is in prime or- 
der, having just been thoroughly repaired. The 
owner has another estate in the village and does not 
care to retain both; hence the sacrifice. 



This Estate consists of an elegant Stone Mansion-Hoiise with 
twenty rooms finished in hard wood, with metal thresholds, and 
has hot and cold water, gas and all modern conveniences. The 
Stable is of stone and has accommodations for eight horses and 
three covvs, with harness and carriage rooms. 

There is a double two-story house for the groom and garden- 
er. There are sixteen acres of land, on which is almost every de- 
sirable large and small fruit, flower and shrub, all in prime bear- 
ing condition. Also a large and well-stocked Grreen-house. This 
is not an expensive place to carry on, as the sale of fruits and 
flowers will more than cover the expensae of miutainance. The 
situation is high, commands a fine view, has a perfect drainage, 
and, being in the "Healthiest town in New England," it is well 
adapted for a gentleman's residence, a select school, or a sanita- 
rium. This place was^suilt and fitted up, and is now owned by 
a gentleman of taste and ample means, and should be seen to be 
appreciated. 

W. B. WICKES, Sharoi^. 



20 

FOR SALE! 



TO SETTLE THE ESTATE, 

-THE FARM- 



—OF THE— 
I]>T 'WEST STOXJO-HXOlSr, 

NE/IR jSflAKON LIJVE, OJVE MILE FROM DEPOT. 



HIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FARMS to get a living on in Nor- 
folk County and can be made profitable as a 

GRASS, POULTBY OR VEGETABLE FARM , 

while the cranberries on the place will, one year with another, pay six 
per cent, on the cost of the farm, and ai'e susceptible of great improve- 
ment. 

There are 1 34 ACRES OF LAND , suitably divided, plenty cf wood, 
many never failing springs, 

APPLES, FEARS AND GRAPES IN ABUNDANCE. 

House of eight rooms, suitable for one or two families, a fair farm 
harn, with cellar. 

Cheap as cranberries were in 1885, the wild crop from this farm, 
sold for $150. Good market, good neighborhood. 

PRICE, $4,000. 



21 

For Sale in East Foxboro, 



rpilE FARM OF CHARLES HOUSTON, only three minutes' walk 
from the station on the Boston & Providence Railroad, and from 
stores and post-office. This is a village farm that is sure to become more 
valuable, as it is right on the railroad. House is two-story, 18 rooms, 
large barn and hen-house -, plenty of water. 

FARM OF 120 ACRES OF LAND, WELL DIVIDED. 

Splendid pine grove, that has been used for picnics. The place is suita- 
ble for a 

GRASS OR POULTRY FARM, 

or for a boarding-house, and will be sold very cheap. 



SHARON WATER COMPANY. 



The Sharon Water Company are now prepared to supply an abun- 
dance of 



PURE WATER FOE DOMESTIC OR 
OTHER PURPOSES. 

Water supplied for running small motors, for sewing machines and 
other purposes requiring light power. 

Application for connections, or for extension of pipes, should be 
made to 



W. B. WICKES, Superintendent. 



22 
'J_' _Ei _tlJ 

Although the youngest, is one of the 

Largest Papers iz™? County. 

It is intended to contain the Society Items and Local 
Xews of Sharon and Canton, and 

fil^TQJilCyi L A KTICLE^ OF ipjTEKEjST 



Advertisers have here a 

36-COLUMN NEWSPAPER 

Which goes into almost every family in Sharon and 

Canton, and into the families that spend 

their summers in these towns. 



PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 

TERMS: TWO DOLLARS PP:R YEAR IN ADVANCE. 
W. B. WICKES, Editor. 



23 



U 




^R 



In all its branches, from a 



SMALL CARD TO A LARGE POSTER, 

Exeruted neatly and quickly. Having a 

WELL-STOCKED OFFICE 



We are prepared to fill all orders, be they large or small. 

ADVOCATE OFFICE, SHARON, MASS. 

EDGAR H. DEANE, SHARON, 

DEALER IN 



COAL DELI VEILED W ^flAKOJ^ 
PI^OMPTLY, 

^p" If ordered by Mail, Telegraph or Telephone. 



YyiRDjS AND OFFICE ^1" CANT'ON JUJVCT'ION- 



CONNECTED BY TELEPHONE. 



24 

A. HAMILTON, 

59 WASHINGTON ST., - - - STOUGHTON. 



DEALEK IN ALL KINDS OF 



And every variety of ^ 

PLUMBERS' BRASS WORK, 

PUMPS, COPPER, ti:n^, 

glass, crockery 

a:n^d woodek ware 

Agent for all the leading 

Furnaces, Ranges & Parlor Heaters. 



Builders' Hardware and Tools 

A SPECIALTY. 



All orders for PLUMBING, TIN ROOFING or any work in our 
line will receive prompt attention, if left with 

W. B. WICKES, 

GENERAL BUSINESS AGENT SHARON WATER CO. 



25 



William K. Hawes, 



DEALER IX ALL KINDS OF 



Watches, Jewelry, Silver Ware, etc. 










ltd 



O 



o 



iW 



REPAIRING OF ALL KINDS NEATLY DONE. 

(I!) WASHINGTON STREET, - . - . CANTON, MASS. 



26 



FOR SALE, on the summit of Moose Hill, in Sharon, a splendid Sixty- 
Acre Farm, with a barn but no house. This is one of the best and 
tinest situated farms in eastern Massachusetts. It is five hundred feet 
above tide water, and commands a magnificent view in all directions. 
PRICE, $2,500. Inquire of W. B. Wickes. 

rOR SALE IN SHARON, the best Market Garden Farm in Norfolk 
County. Thei-e is Sixtj-nine Acres of Land, some wood and the rest 
iu the highest possible state of cultivation. An immense three-story new 
barn, sheds and large house. House is heat by steam and has modern im- 
provements. Buildings cost !$6000, and I will sell them, farm and all for 

that. CHEAP! CHEAP!! CHEAP!!! 

W. B. WICKES. 



F 



OR SALE ! Large and small House Lots near the village. 

W. B. WICKES. 



F 



OR SALE ! One-half of a Double House. Will sell cheap. There 
is a desirable party in the other half. 

W. B. WICKES. 

FOR SALE ! A nice little Farm of Fifteen Acres. Small but snug 
house and barn. A neat little place near the village. PRICE, .$1500. 
Only .$300 down. 



T 



LET ! A House, Barn and Two Acres of Land. Rent .$10 a month. 



FOR SALE! A Two-Story House and Barn. PRICE, .$1500. A Two- 
Story House, $1000. A French-roof House, $1000. There is a half 
acre of land with each of these. Will sell them for $200 down and the 

l>alance $100 a year. 

W. B. WICKES. 



ONLY #350 for a small Farm of two and one-half acres and a small 
house, on Moose Hill. A good place to raise vegetables and keep 
joultry. Plenty of work for a man on neighboring farms. High, dry, 
heautiful scenery and fine air. Good place for an invalid with little money. 

FOR SALE! A Farm with a house, barn, saw mill and a never failing 
water power. It is a lonesome but pleasant place. Owner has busi- 
vvas near Boston and will sell cheap, or exchange for other property. 



FOR SALE directly on the line of the Boston & Providence Railroad, 
Fourteen Acres of Woodland, oak and pine, from one to thirty years' 
growth. Was once a farm and is good building land. Price, $50 an acre 
for the lot. 



27 



FOR SALE ! Several tracts of Woodlands of from five to three hun- 
dred acres. Prices from $10 an acre upward. Some of these are 
high, dry lands and will some day be valuable for building lands. 

W. B. WICKES, Sharon. 



XIOR SALE IN SHARON ! About 20,000 feet of the highest and best 
J- land in the village, one-half mile from the station, overlooking miles 
of country. Wter pipes laid on part of it. Price, three cents a foot. 



T 



O LET, UNFURNISHED. 1-2 double house of six rooms. A pleasant, 
healthy, desirable place, for two or three ladies or a small family, 
g^"- Rent, .$120, for a year or less. 



T 



O LET FURNISHED. Cottage house of seven rooms, shade, piazza, 
and blinds. Will be rented for two or three months only. 



TO LET FULLY FURNISHED. A two-story house, nine rooms, am- 
ple grounds, shade, nice place; will be rented for the summer 
only. 



T 



O LET FURNISHED. Near station, a house, barn and grounds. 



T 



O LET ! A nice, cosy tenement of six rooms, in the heart of the vil- 
lage. A good place for a small family. 

rriO LET ! A nice cottage house of eight rooms, with garden, orchard 
-■- and stable. Five minutes' walk from Sharon station. Rent, $15 a 
month. W. B. WICKES. 

"T^OR SALE OR EXCHANGE. In the city of Concord, N. H. , a 75-acre 
-'- farm. Good, early, productive land well watered; house of fourteen 
rooms, 3 verandas, storm doors, double windows, screens, steam radiators 
in all the rooms and halls ; large barn painted and blinded; silo, trout 
pond, and a river in rear of farm The buildings were all new seven 
years ago and cost $8000. The farm has kept sixteen cows and two horses. 
Owner has had a paralitic shock and wishes to get near his children in 
Boston. Will sell very low, or exchange for a home within twenty miles 
of Boston. 

T^OR SALE! A good farm of thirty aci'es. Level land well divided, 
-*- good cottage house, with blinds and piazza; sheds, barn and poultry 
house; five hundred cords of wood on the place; near schools and good 
neighbors. A nice place to keep a horse, cow, some hens and^raise vege. 
tables. Price, $1700. 



28 

FOR SALE 



The Old Baptist Parsonage 



IN SHARON. - 



THIS ESTATE consists of nearly an acre of land, on the corner of 
Main and Station streets, only a few minutes' walk from the station. 
There is a two-story house in good repair on the premises. 

ZPK.ICEl, Sl,700. 

The land is worth !$1000 for business pui-poses. 

W. B. WICKES. 



Contractor & Jobber, 

CELLARS, CESS- POOLS AND STONE WALLS BUILT. 

MEN AND HORSES furnished for Teaming, Grading, Plowing, 
and all kinds of work. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. 

ESTIMATES FURNISHED. 

Address, 

TIMOTHY O'LEARY, 

BOX 8, SHARON, MASS. 

Reference by permission, W. B. WICKES. 



29 

H 



NNEY, 



DEALER IN FIRST-CLASS 



G:]^O0ERIE2,IPRO¥IgIOI]S 

Canned Goods, Fruits, 

Butter and Cheese, 

Hay, Grain and Milk. 



Prockery 



H 



A.:tTiD 



ARDWARE. 



Goods delivered in Sharon tind Canton. 



TURNER'S BLOCK, SHARON, 



PUBLIC TELEPHONE. 



30 

For Sale in Canton, 



A TWO STOEY HOUSE, thirteen rooms, brick furnace, hot and cokl 
■^^ water, a fine stable, abundance of fruit, nice shade, 80,000 feet of 
land. Beautiful view and perfect drainage. 

PRICE, 16,500. 



HOTEL WALPOLE, 



This nearly new Hotel will be sold low with all the furniture, to set- 
tle the estate of the late proprietor. It is in the centre of the flourishing 
village of Walpole, Mass., only three minutes' walk from the stations of 
the N. Y. & N. E. and Northern Div. of the Old Colony Railroads, and is 
on the road from Providence to Boston, about twenty miles from Boston. 
The house has thirty rooms, all modern improvements, and is now full of 
guests. There is a large stable and tw-o and three-fourths acres of land. 
Apply to J. J. FEELY, ESQ., Equitable Building, 150 Devonshire Street, 
Boston, or W. B. WICKES, Sharon, Mass. 



WEST WALPOLE, 



A FIFTY ACRE FARM, good land, good buildings, near West Wal- 
■^^ pole, for sale low. on account of the old age of the owner. Price, 
.$3500. Would exchange for a house in Hyde Park. Inquire of Mr. 
Crummitt at the B. & P. Station in Hyde Park, or W. B. Wickes, Sharon, 
Mass. 



31 
lOEI ICE! ICE! 



Ice delivered promptly by careful drivers in any quantity- Orders left 
with the gate tender at Sharon station will be attended to. 

SHEPARD CARPEIS^TER. 



FOR SALE! 



In Sharon the estate known as the 

"BALL GROUND," 

Belonging to the 

HEIRS OF THE LATE L. G. BILLINGS. 



There are twenty-one acres of land, part in cultivation, and the balance 
in pasture and woodland, including a pine grove. This is by far the fin- 
est lot of land in Sharon, being in the heart of the village and overlook- 
ing the country in every direction. The j'oungest owner is now of age. 
and as they live away, they offer this in whole or in part at a price that 
will warrant its purchaser to improve or to hold for a raise. Apply to 

W. B. WICKES. 

For Sale in Sharon. 



A VERY GOOD 'X*-^ ACRE FARM 



Lots of wood, two-story old-fashioned house, new modern barn, good 
cranberry meadow, 2 1-2 miles from depot on main road. Owner has 
lived on it sixtj^ years. Price .$3000. Stock and tools low. 



32 



D, 



b. gannett, 
ondStreetStable 



Double and Single Carriages 



With or without Drivers, furnished at Short Notice. Also 

Hacte^ BsiFgeg & Party WagOMS, 



The roreman of this Stable is a temperate, experienced man, who 
will give the best of care to 

BOARDING HORSES. 



Carriages Seiiifc to aiay Train. 

When ordered by Mail or Telegraph. Address 

B, GANNETT. SHARON, 

p. S. — Teams furnished from my farm for Moving Furniture, 
or any kind of Jobbing, Excavating or Teaming. 

PD 18 1 







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